Coffee Shop
by bon-evair
Summary: Charles is disowned by his mother for buying a coffee shop, he struggles with this abandonment but this is where he meets Erik. However Erik really isn't what he's made himself to be. TWO-SHOT
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Unoriginal title, I know... **le sigh** Anyhoo, hope you like the, I will be updating my other story in a few days, cause I was so into writing this one I forgot about the other. My bad. Sorry. Um... no not mine, I don't really own much... **le sigh again**

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><p>Coffee Shop:<br>_Charles has potential. Charles is smart. And Charles is living._

**i.**  
>Charles' mother questions him. "You have so much money, so much intelligence, why do you want to invest in such an inane thing as a coffee shop?" She's sitting in the living room, in her pretty little red dress.<p>

Charles begins walking away from his mother, towards the oak doors, towards freedom. "One more step Charles Francis Xavier and I'll take it all away from you." She's standing up now, hands on her hips.

Charles sighs, his hands hovering above the golden doorknob. "Mom… I…"

"If word gets out that my son owns a coffee shop, I will not be damned when I disown you, Charles." Charles turns around. He's tired and feels like surrendering, but Charles has his own mind and morals that he will not dismiss.

"Will you not let me do something I love?" He stares straight into his mother's eyes, defiance is written on his face, but torment is etched in his heart.

"I do," her eyes flicker with anger. "I gave you piano lessons, I gave you lessons of eloquence, _I gave you an education_."

"Mom…" It's all he could say. The connotation of that word is all he has left for him to stay. He has to remember the definition of that word. "Mom…" He says it again, to force himself to remember, to feel.

"I will, Charles. If you leave tonight and make that contract, everything will be given to Cain. I'll make it happen, Charles. I will."

Charles is hurting, he feels at loss from reality. He feels numb, feels like he can just walk out that door with no thoughts of looking back. "Do I remind you of father too much? Is this why you're so hostile to me?"

"Charles Francis Xavier! I have never been so appalled of you until this very moment." She's pointing at Charles, a disapproving look on her face. Her red lipstick makes her snarl so much more visible.

"I'm sorry, mother," and Charles is turning away from her, his hand, once again, hovering atop the doorknob. "I'll pick my things up tomorrow evening."

He's turning the doorknob, he's turning another page, and he's onto a new chapter… finally. "Goodbye… Sharon."

**ii.**  
>He doesn't look back when he's out the door. He doesn't remember opening it either. He's walking away, with quick steps, he's not regretting it, but he's not satisfied with his decision either.<p>

Charles' steps become strides and soon, Charles begins to run. He's running in the midst of the night, the gravel under his feet makes a crunching sound. He's looking into the distance, it's dark and ambiguous but Charles can see something; something brilliant and worthy.

Tears start to fall down his face, and soon, Charles begins to hiccup; he's gulping down the fresh air of Westchester. Charles' hands are cold, and his face is cold too but he feels so hot in his chest and legs.

He keeps running. He isn't running from anything generally, just running to distance himself further away from a painful past. Or maybe he just simply doesn't want to be able to turn back.

He's far enough from the mansion, and the 'something' he saw from the far distance turns out to just be a bench that Charles has never seen in his 19 years of life at the Westchester Mansion.

Charles starts to dither, he has doubts in his mind but he can't turn back now. He slows into a walk; he's far away from his past now, heading into town. Charles figures he'll just take a plane to London and go to Oxford earlier than he should. He'll stay on campus, thanking God he had already paid for his tuition. With the money inside his bank account (which is a rather large sum), he'll invest into the coffee shop he had an eye on near Oxford. He'll show Sharon.

Charles begins wiping his tears away.

This time, torment is written on his face but defiance is etched in his heart.

**iii.  
>5 Years Later<strong>  
>"Raven! You're late!" Charles is yelling from his spot behind the counter. He's holding a frosting bag and it's quite cliché but he has dough plastered on his right cheek.<p>

Raven can't help but giggle, "Sorry, Charles." She starts to make her way to the counter, weaving her way through the populated coffee shop.

Raven quickly puts on her apron.

"We're so busy," says Charles, looking away from his cake. Raven notes that Charles' eyes are exceptionally blue today, blue and tired. "Can you please give that to table 5?"

"Sir, yes, Sir." Raven is off and Charles feels a large amount of weight lift off his shoulders. He smiles.

"Hank, make sure Raven doesn't do anything stupid whilst I'm in the back. My last cake batch is almost finished so I can help you out here. Ok?"

Hank nods and smiles, "No problemo, boss."

**iv.**  
>It's 3 o'clock when everything starts to settle and Charles is falling asleep in the back.<p>

Raven is walking back towards Hank with a tray of empty coffee cups and cake plates that are warm and comforting.

"Hank," Raven begins, "could you help me with my thesis on the distinguished effects of to humans and rats?"

Hank turns around from the coffee machine, cocks an eyebrow and turns back, pouring the content of milk into the warming cup. "Sure," he adds, "Could you give this to table 1?"

"Sure," Raven says, a little bit too sharp and harsh. She just wants to spend more time with him.

The coffee shop door opens with a familiar _ding!_

"Hello," Hank pushes his glasses further up his nose, "What would you like today?" He lifts his head up to look at the customer.

Hank doesn't feel right about this customer; he's a little intimidating with his tall, muscular physique and his arms are crossed over his chest as he looks at the menu and his face is void of emotions.

"Just a large long black to have here," the customer says.

Hank sweats just a little when he asks the customer for $3.75 cents. His hands start to shake as he collects the money. Hank tentatively looks up and sees Erik staring at him, his aura demeaning. "Just... Just take a seat and we'll bring it right over."

The customer leaves without another word, just a short nod of the head and sits quietly at the only available table near the back entrance.

Hank is making the coffee when Raven sneaks up on him.

"Who's that hunk over there, never seen him before. He's really good looking, and about my age too." Raven squeals.

"You… think so?"

"Oh yes, give me that coffee. I wanna bring it out to him."

And what little could poor Hank do but give the coffee to Raven. Hank sighs as he puts on a fake smile for his next customer, who will sadly have nowhere to sit.

"Here you go, one large long black." Raven puts the coffee cup down. "I've never seen you around. Are you on vacation here?"

"No."

The answer was short but the message was clear enough; the customer did not want small talk, but Raven wasn't Raven if she wasn't insistent.

"Really? So why are you here?"

"Raven," Charles is walking towards her, his eyes a darker shade of blue from how she remembers. He's giving her 'the face'. The face that says she's mingling for too long and ought to get back to work.

She quickly walks away, her head down and a blush flushing on her cheeks. "Darn you…" She mumbles.

"Sorry about that," Charles stops next to the customer's table. "It'll never happen again."

**v.**  
>It's three long and hard days later when Charles is able to get back into the coffee shop. It's difficult balancing school and work, Charles barely pulls through. He's only had four hours of uneasy sleep and around twenty cups of strong coffee.<p>

"Charles!" Hank's behind the counter, looking up at the clock. "You're early."

"Yes… well, let's just say, that I am outstandingly late." Charles surveys his surroundings, it's late and there are only a few customers. "Sorry about that, Hank."

"Did you finish whatever you had to get completed?" Hank starts to walk away from the counter, it's nearing 9 o'clock, and closing time is in another half hour. Hank's getting a broom from the closet.

"Yes, thank God." Charles starts to turn around, "Where is Raven?"

"She… she's over there," Hank starts to point to where Raven sat with a customer Charles has met before, "with that Erik Lensherr guy." Charles doesn't miss the way Hank drags Erik's last name; _Sherrrrr._

Charles watches Raven as she tries oh so hard to keep the conversation going, at least she's getting a few words from him. He doesn't want to interrupt Raven because the feeling of guilt is slithering its ugly way in.  
>Charles feels bad, for Hank, for Raven and for his other employees that work overtime for him. He knows they think he is exculpable, but Charles is Charles, and Charles feels guilty.<p>

He's working hard, and now that the first semester is over, Charles can make up for the lack of appearance at his own shop.

It's been a tough half year, school requires more time and effort, and so does his shop. He's thinking, when school is finally over (this is his last year), that he will take the position offered to him as an Oxford professor, whilst still running the coffee shop alone, it's quite possible.

He'll send Hank and Raven off on vacation in Fiji to find their unknown love for each other and he'll work his ass off trying to make money.

Does he regret leaving the Westchester Mansion? Sometimes, when all is tough and doesn't seem to be advancing anywhere. It's like swimming against a strong current, cold, tiring and difficult. Charles of course pulls through, with Raven and Hank by his side. He's the type of person who picks themselves up and tries again, to swim against the strong current, but that is after he locks himself in his bedroom, biting on his arm to stop himself from crying out too loud so his Oxford roommates can't hear him.

Three customers later and Charles is staring at Raven with an amused face.  
>"Don't say a word," Raven warns him, she's pouting.<p>

Charles chuckles. "Wasn't going to say anything, actually."

"Yeah, yeah," Raven is flicking her wrist, "Hank, let's get going now. You still have to help me on my thesis."

"Coming," came a voice from the back, most probably Hank's.

"Bye, Raven." Charles waves.

"Bye Charles, I'll see you tomorrow."

Before Hank could get a proper goodbye, Raven has already pulled him out the door, Charles barely gets his goodbye through to Hank.

**vi.**  
>It's past closing time and Charles makes himself another cup of vanilla latte with his dissertations spread out on a table. There's that customer that Raven fancies still sitting in the corner, and Charles doesn't have the heart to tell him to leave, Charles was going to stay back later anyway.<p>

It's 11 o'clock when Charles gets startled by a sudden voice, "Shouldn't you be telling me to leave?"

"What time is it?" Charles stifles a yawn.

"11:04." The man takes a sip of his cold coffee.

"So late, you could've just left yourself. Sorry." Charles takes a second to look up at the man and then down again, packing away his papers, which are empty of life.

"Yes, well, somebody has to keep you company. You look like you're going to drop dead any second."

Charles looks up at the man, seeing him for the first time. His vision starts to become really clear.

"The coffee keeps me alive." Charles stands up from his chair and places his cup in the sink. He then walks out the counter and picks up his papers.

The man starts to nod, "I was joking when I said that somebody should keep you company. I kind of lost track of time whilst sitting in this coffee shop."

"That's the beauty of it, isn't it?" Charles is surprised that this Erik guy Raven has been trying to get more than a few words from is actually talking to him.

"I guess so," Erik walks towards the door. "Thank you," he says. Erik walks across the street before turning back. He sees the lights of the coffee shop turn off and gets into a car that is already occupied.

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><p>As always, reviews are loved. This is inspired by a prompt at 1stclass_kink.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Annyeong, so, I was going to update this on like... Tuesday, but then I remembered I'll be in the wild with no form of internet connection so YAY! CAMP ~~ Yes, no, I don't own. So, yes, I do not own.

Thank you to EVERYONE who reviewed , kekek, thank you :DD

Anyways, this is part two, which means this is complete.

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><p><strong>vii.<strong>  
>It's two weeks after Charles' first encounter with a man by the name Erik Lensherr. Charles finds himself staying back later than usual, when the coffee shop is at its quietest and Erik is at his liveliest.<p>

Charles has found out that Erik is a first year graduate lawyer. He was born in Germany, his favourite colour is blue (like Charles' eyes, that was what he specifically said), his mother died when he was twelve and his father… his father had abandoned him when he turned 15 for another woman.

Charles found himself confiding in Erik, how his father had died and his mother remarried. He told him that Sharon, his mother, had taken his inheritance and given it to Cain, her step son, his step brother. When asked if Charles resents his mother, Charles shook his head, no.

Then the conversation was over, because it wasn't the truth, and Charles couldn't find the right lie to justify his answer.

"No." He repeats again, then after, shaking his head.

Charles guesses he told Erik of his darkest secrets because Erik is like Charles; intellectual and both their parents re-married. Their lives are stained with imperfections but here they are, laughing about films and lame teacher jokes.

Their conversations aren't the most intellectual, however. It varies from 'how are you's to 'you're looking very good today's but then Charles finds himself exploring the concepts of books and movies and people and the weather and all the glorious things Earth presents to humans.

**viii.**  
>Charles laughs just the little bit louder when he's with Erik, he smiles just the little bit more and his heart flutters just the little bit faster. Charles knows when Erik will enter the shop. One short stop at 9:04am, one stop at 3:00pm and one long stop at 8:31pm.<p>

It wasn't until the first month of holidays that Raven points out with a sly smile that maybe, Erik is not a friend.

"Raven, what on Earth are you babbling about? Of course Erik is my friend." Charles is baffled. _Of course he's my friend._

"Yeah, yeah, it doesn't look like it from my point of view."

Even though Raven does not have a PhD or even a degree for any matter, she's not stupid. She's been watching Charles with his subtle glances over to Erik, his course when walking back to the counter changes too, his new course is to pass Erik's table… Every time.

Erik is just as worse as Charles, those times when Charles passes him by, Erik just so happens to place his hand on the edge of the table, his hands brushing past Charles' jacket. Some days, Raven catches Erik texting someone, his face set in an annoyed way. Annoying Ex-Girlfriend? Raven thinks so.

She's not annoyed that Charles has got what she had wanted first. Raven is a girl who knows her place. If she isn't wanted, she'll move onto another. She sometimes wonders why she never made a move on Hank as of yet.

**ix.**  
>They're having coffee again, Erik and Charles.<p>

"Why did you choose this coffee shop over your inheritance?" Erik is curious, Erik needs to know.

Charles stops sipping his coffee and slowly, like the analytical man Charles is, puts his latte down.

"What are we doing, Erik?" Erik is taken aback by this question. Many thoughts crossing his mind like a guilty man. He decides to play dumb.

"Having a chat whilst drinking coffee," he takes a gulp of his coffee.

"Precisely," Charles points his finger up to the sky and then takes a small sip of his latte. "My father met my mother at a coffee shop. Love at first sight. That's what he told me."

"I still don't get it…" Erik is confused, he doesn't stand Charles' concept, but he knows he'll get it soon and he'll soon be on the same page as Charles too, because what they have now, whatever it is, Erik will always have it in his mind to view Charles' perspective.

"I'm sorry to assume this, let us just say that we are great friends –"

"But we are," Erik takes this chance to hold onto Charles hands, looking into Charles eyes, his heart beating faster. He's desperate, he's going to leave. So soon. He's not going to see Charles anymore.

"Oh, thank you, I think so too. I just wasn't sure if you were on the same page as I was." Charles is feeling hot and Erik can feel Charles' hands sweating or it could just be Erik himself that's sweating. "You see," Charles takes his hands away and for a moment, Erik feels cold. "My father met my mother at a coffee shop, and I understand that their relationship wasn't so happy and forever but this is how I see it, that maybe I will meet someone here that can make me happy like what my mother did to my father in his short life.

"My future lover and I can start off with simple things such as a small cup of coffee and small talk, with 'how are you's and 'you're looking good today's. We can feel comfortable and never awkward because the coffee we're drinking is made to comfort and warm our hearts and stomachs.

It's a beautiful thing; coffee. I want to hold onto this moment, and not let it slip like my parents…" Charles is staring intently at his coffee, holding it at eye level before taking a sip. Always a sip.

Erik listens intently, he can see it happening, or see it happened. Erik already has fallen in love with someone he met from a coffee shop, but he knows it cannot be, after he knows why, he has to leave. Erik's heart stops for a heart dropping moment... maybe, maybe he won't have to go.

**x.**  
>It's the next day and Charles is always the first to look up when the door makes a ding!-ing noise. It's 8:56pm and Erik is not there yet and Erik is late and Erik has not been there all day.<p>

"What do you feel when you see Erik?" Raven asks when no one is coming in to the coffee shop and the customers are slowly leaving.

Raven is frankly a nosy person but Hank isn't, however Hank is interested in the answer, and so are all the other employees, they all stop what they're doing, listening in on the conversation.

"A great load of many things," is Charles' answer. It's an answer Raven knows Charles makes when he's not too sure of something. His feeling and thoughts get all muddled up because Charles thinks and feels way too much. It's her job to help him decipher it.

"Well, just tell me what _physically_happens then," Raven looks at Charles, she's seeing the naiveté in Charles. He's thinking hard, and Raven is slowing remembering how childlike Charles really is.

Raven is older than him, she forgets that fact sometimes because she acts like a child, and Charles acts so mature and so Raven comes to the conclusion that Charles is a man, and he should protect her, but now, now that Raven is paying close attention, there are cracks on Charles' face that reveal a child underneath.

"I tend to smile when I see him," Charles is scratching his head, thinking real hard. "When I don't see him, like now, I'm very nervous and I feel odd. Like… like I'm waiting for something very important and I can't miss it."

Raven sighs, Charles can be very stupid sometimes. "Charles, Sweetie, you do know that you are waiting for something, right?" She places a comforting hand on Charles' shoulder.

"But I don't know what I'm waiting for," this is Charles, the boy who has gone through many concepts with Erik and with his professor at Oxford but has just so happen to miss delving in the thoughts and concepts of love.

"Charles, aren't you waiting for Erik?" Raven looks into Charles' eyes, they become a fraction wider, as realisation dawns over his heart. "Now, Charles, what do you feel when you see Erik?"

There's a long string of silence followed by a timid and quite word, "_happiness_."

**xi.**  
>Charles understands now, that he maybe likes Erik more than he had so thought. Charles thinks himself stupid for never asking Erik his phone number. He hasn't seen Erik in three days and he's getting a little worried.<p>

"Don't worry, Charles. Erik is a lawyer; he's probably busy with a very important court case," and Charles nods away, thinking it is very probable that court cases require a lot of attention and for a long period of time too. Hank is right and Hank leaves to clean the tables.

The familiar _ding!_is heard and Charles, sighing and giving up, does not look up straight away. "Hi, what would you like to –" Charles stops his speech for a second before regaining posture, a million thoughts racing in his mind, "– day."

His face is blank, and it's rarely that Charles is cold to someone but right now, Charles can't help it.

"A small cappuccino, please," the voice annoys Charles and he quickly asks for $3.50.

He asks Hank to make the coffee, fearing he'll be too angry to make it perfect. He asks Raven to give it to her, to Sharon, the woman in the pretty little red dress.

**xii.  
><strong>Sharon stays until closing time and it's Charles who has to ask her to leave.

"I see you're living well."

Sharon has her head held up high. Was she trying to make Charles feel inferior? Regretful? Shameful? Does she want Charles to beg to take him back?

"I am, and you, yourself?"

It was a casual conversation where one sees when two people who haven't met for quite a long time converse, but this conversation held an edge.

"Very well, my son has completed university, it's all so wonderful."

Charles wants to scoff; he's feeling quite indescribable at this moment. There's a sort of poison running through his veins, making his heart thump louder. His hands are fisted together and Charles knows it should hurt when his fingers are digging into his skin but he's quite numb from it. No, he doesn't want to hit Sharon to release the poison but a wall would do quite well.

"Never knew Cain was a scholar," he's keeping it together quite well. The sentence comes out strained and awkward.

"Yes, a lot has happened when you… left."

"What are you doing here?" There really isn't much time for small talk.

"Hmmm," Sharon is taking it painfully slow, like she's got some sort of secret weapon she has against Charles. "Are you finding love in your coffee shop? It's been, what, 5 years and still… no one?"

Charles is shocked. "How'd you know about this?"

She answers, "Erik."

It's a heart wrenching moment when Charles understands Sharon's answer. _Erik. Erik Lensherr._Charles notices that the poison had left his system. He feels like he has lost his voice to speak, to defend Erik's position but everything fits into the broken puzzle quite well.

Erik. Charles feels betrayed, and hurt, _ohgodithurtssomuch_. He manages to whisper out, "Erik."

"Yes, Charles, Erik has been my little spy," Sharon laughs, "well; I do hope you are doing well, Charles."

Sharon stands up to leave. Charles is standing there, watching her go, watching as she takes his heart and leaves with it. He's just standing there, watching from a far, doing nothing.

When the door opens he hears the sound of a struggle from outside, '_let me go_' it says. It could be his heart that's struggling against Sharon's ice cold hands. Charles walks to close the lights of the coffee shop and then takes a seat in the corner. He's staring at his hands, remembering how oddly good it felt to be touched by Erik's big and rough hands.

He shakes his head and tears begin to fly off his face, hitting the ground with a silent noise, just like how right now, Charles' heart is noiselessly breaking from the cold.

He's crying into his hands, letting out the sounds of the heartbroken and the betrayed.

"Charles…" the voice says again, "Charles…" The voice is tired and breathless.

A cold hand is set on Charles shoulders. Charles cries harder.  
>"It's me. Erik. I'm so sorry."<p>

Charles looks up, tears still evident in his eyes.

Erik wants to drown in Charles' eyes, so blue and beautiful, so vast…

So they're there, and Charles wishes they were outside, and that it would rain, to create a more serene scene. He wishes there's some sad music playing in the background and maybe if they were being filmed, the camera would pan a 360 degree around them.

"I never wanted to hurt you," Erik says, his eyes desperate.

Charles scoffs. _That's what they all say_… He has tears in his eyes that he's trying so hard to keep from falling.

Charles shakes his head, afraid his voice will betray him like the many people in his lives have done.

"Charles… I'm sorry."

Charles shakes his head again. Erik is right there, Erik is so close, but Charles doesn't feel like he has the right to touch him; Erik never loved him.

There's a hollowness Charles is feeling, like he can never be happy again. He wants Erik to love him.

"Why…?" Charles chokes out. Charles is looking at his hands, he can't care to look at Erik, Erik reminds him of all the things he's lost. "Why?"

"Charles…" Erik begins to sit down and goes to hold Charles' hands.

It feels good, that Erik is holding Charles hands. It feels warm, so warm. Charles can't bring himself to pry his hands away. He's a greedy person, wanting more than what he can never have, he's not perfect. "Was everything a lie? I – Are you really a lawyer? Your... your _family_?"

Charles is looking at Erik's hands, big and protective. "Not everything was a lie, Charles. I really love the movie 10 Things I Hate About You and I really do think the world looks so much more beautiful in winter, when the rain washes all the impurities away."

"Your family…?"

"No…" Erik's voice is sad and heavy and Charles can see himself, in a lightly messed up universe believing him. "My parents are both alive. I'm not a lawyer. I work for your brother, Cain – but they're the only things I've lied about, Charles. I love you."

Charles isn't listening; he's just trying to hold onto the moment when Erik is holding Charles's hands. He's trying to sort out his feelings. He wants to remember the feel of Erik's hands on him, because when they both walk out of the coffee shop, they're never going to see each other again. _Remember, Charles. You have to remember._

"I love you, Charles," Erik says again, to force it into Charles brain.  
>Charles looks up, a sense of shock radiating off him. Erik whispers again, "<em>I love you<em>."

Then Charles doesn't really have to remember anymore, because Erik is kissing him. It's sloppy and weird and odd and lovely all at the same time. Charles likes kissing Erik, and when Erik pokes his tongue in his mouth, Charles feels secure and loved.

It's Erik, and he's real, and warm.

It's ok if there isn't rain, Charles realises, because inside his mind, there's really nothing more serene than kissing Erik.

Charles is feeling blissful, and he's reaching up to cup Erik's face.

Charles feels his heart thumping against his chest, Charles has gotten his heart back, and Erik has found it for him. Erik is warming his cold heart, giving life back to Charles.

Charles thinks Erik is like coffee, warm, comfortable and delicious.

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><p>Thank you so much for reading this. I hope you enjoyed it :) And yes, VIRTUE COOKIES FOR EVERYONE WHO REVIEWS ~~~ muahahah , oh, i dunno...<p> 


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